news from the lab 2015

Earth Sciences

Results 1 - 4 of 4.

Earth Sciences - 11.12.2015

Upside-down lightning strikes11.12.15 - Upward lightning strikes initiate on the ground and head skyward. These discharges, which usually begin at the top of tall and slender structures, pose a real risk for wind turbines.

Environment - Earth Sciences - 26.11.2015

Tiny amoebas could play a big role in climate26.11.15 - For the first time, researchers at EPFL and the WSL investigate how the fate of tiny algae-harboring amoebas that live in peatlands could reinforce global warming. The world's peatlands store tremendous amounts of carbon - up to 20 years' worth of human and natural emissions.

Astronomy / Space Science - Earth Sciences - 11.11.2015

Plate tectonics thanks to plumes?It is common knowledge that the Earth's rigid upper layer called lithosphere is composed of moving plates. But just what mechanism first set plate tectonics into motion still remains a mystery. A team of researchers led by ETH professor Taras Gerya has now come up with one possible answer by using simulations.

Earth Sciences - Civil Engineering - 06.11.2015

Thin walls with potentially fatal consequences06.11.15 - Given the choice between safer and cheaper construction, many housing design companies in earthquake-prone developing countries see themselves forced to save on expensive construction materials and opt for the latter. EPFL structural engineers have gathered new data on how these structures respond to earthquakes, and in which circumstances they may fail.